In a major setback for the Kerala government, the High Court on Wednesday cancelled the results of the KEAM 2025 engineering entrance exam. The verdict came just as the admission process was about to begin, throwing thousands of students into uncertainty.

What is KEAM?
KEAM (Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical) is a state-level entrance exam for professional courses in Kerala. Conducted by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE), it is the primary pathway for engineering admissions in the state.

The KEAM engineering entrance paper includes 150 multiple-choice questions: 75 from Mathematics, 45 from Physics, and 30 from Chemistry. This is to be answered in 180 minutes. The score is out of 300, with 4 marks awarded for each correct answer and 1 mark deducted for wrong responses.

How are final ranks calculated?
Originally, KEAM ranks were based solely on entrance scores. Later, a 50:50 weightage system was introduced, combining 300 marks from the entrance exam and 300 marks from Class 12 board exams.

Because students write exams under different boards-- Kerala HSE, CBSE, ICSE--a scientific method of normalisation was introduced in 2011. This relied on global mean and standard deviation to standardise Plus Two marks across boards. It was used for over a decade. While the 5:3:2 ratio was used in the examination for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, the marks from these were given an equal weightage.  If a candidate has not studied Chemistry, their marks in Computer Science, Biotechnology, or Biology (whichever is available in that order) will be considered for academic eligibility based on their official Higher Secondary mark list.

What led to the controversy?
This year, the Kerala government scrapped the 2011 standardisation method and replaced it with a simpler, board-wise proportional scaling. They also changed the subject-wise weightage of Plus Two marks to match the entrance exam pattern: 5:3:2 for Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. This replaced the earlier system of equal weightage.

“This new formula heavily favoured Kerala syllabus students, who often lost marks under the older, more scientific normalisation system. For instance, the new method compares individual scores to the topper’s score within each board. So if a CBSE student scored 70 and their board’s topper had 90, while the Kerala topper had 95, the CBSE score would be scaled as (70 × 95 / 90) — giving an edge to Kerala board students,” educationalist, author and career mentor BS Warrier said while speaking to Onmanorama’s News Brake podcast.

However, he stressed that stricter evaluation in CBSE/ICSE naturally results in slightly lower marks, and the original formula was designed to account for that.

What did the High Court say?
Justice D K Singh of the Kerala High Court ruled that the revised formula was introduced illegally, as the prospectus had already been published. The court held that the government cannot amend rules midstream, especially when students have already paid and appeared for the exam under one set of criteria.

The verdict annulled the KEAM 2025 rank list based on the new formula and directed that a fresh list be prepared as per the original prospectus, using equal weightage and the earlier standardisation method.

What did the petitioners argue?
A batch of petitions was filed in the High Court. It stated that their ranks had dropped significantly due to the formula change, reducing their chances of admission. “The prospectus functions like a contract between the state and the applicant. Any post-publication changes violate transparency and fairness,” Warrier said.

What impact will this have on students?
According to BS Warrier, the High Court’s decision will delay admissions and cause ripple effects:

• Shorter academic sessions for engineering students
• Students who’ve already joined BSc programmes may now switch, disrupting rosters
• Counselling and allotment procedures will need to be redone
• Since judicial processes are time-consuming, the students will bear the brunt as the government has chosen to appeal.
• They may also have to look for options outside the state, which would mean additional expense since revising the rank list as per the old system would be time-consuming.

Government’s stand
Higher Education Minister R Bindu defended the new formula: “The standardisation process could have caused a 35-mark loss for Kerala syllabus students. That’s why we adopted a formula that was fair to all.”

The state has moved a division bench, contesting the single bench order. The High Court is scheduled to hear the appeal on Thursday.